Russia has started to use KA-52 more actively, but the Armed Forces fighters have Shorad systems-experts (photos)

The experience of hostilities in the south of Ukraine emphasizes the importance of aircraft of a nearby radius of action. There are both Soviet samples, such as 9k330, and Western AVRK-1 Avenger and Gepard, in service with the Ukrainian army. During the last fighting in the south of Ukraine, the troops of the Defense Forces were confronted with a more active use of the enemy of combat aviation, and in particular, KA-52 shock helicopters.

Similar to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began to take a greater risk to gain greater advantage in the sky, but it should not be forgotten that Ukrainian defenders have a small range or shorad mobile SPR. Experts in The Drive said about how Ukrainian armed forces can protect their equipment.

Recently, Russian aviation in Ukraine is very close to the front line, wrote observers, and combat helicopters are a particularly serious threat to Ukrainian counter -offensive in areas where armored vehicles are organized. Although the use of shock helicopters at the beginning of the war, including KA-52, was quite unsuccessful for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation due to heavy losses, the enemy is ready to go to the high risks in their use against Ukrainian equipment.

And here it should be mentioned that the Armed Forces has a low range of mobile air defense systems or shorad. According to experts, their importance in the future will only increase. Military expert Guy Plopski noted that activation on the front of shock helicopters is associated with the attempt of Russians to stop the offensive of Ukrainian troops.

In his considerations, he relies on British intelligence data, which indicate that the Russian Air Force was extremely active over Southern Ukraine, where the air space is "free for the Russian Federation". This may indicate that the Armed Forces has difficulty using Shorad systems, which are able to impress targets up to 5 km (in the case of the Arrow-10 complex). In addition, enemy helicopters are attacked at low altitudes and at night, which limits the use of portable SPRs, says Plopski.

The KA-52 arms are 9m120-1 "Atacus-1" with a maximum range up to 8 km, as well as anti-tank 9A4172k "Vyhry-1" with range up to 6 km at night and 10 km in the daytime. "Ka-52 is the only Russian combat helicopter that is in armed in large quantities and is able to use 9A4172k" Vyhry-1 ", which has a significant advantage in the range of flight compared to the older Russian helicopter PTRCs,"-says Plopsky.

In addition, the Russians perhaps the advanced anti-tank missiles of Lmur, which could be launched from the Mi-28NM helicopter platform. Their range, according to some estimates, reaches 14 km. According to the expert, Russian helicopters fire on equipment located near or ahead of Ukrainian positions, which makes the tactics of their use quite effective.

In this regard, experts point out that Ukraine's need for increasingly advanced air defense systems was the most important factor in the conflict from the beginning of a full -scale invasion of Russia. However, first of all, it was about systems of a distant radius of action to protect against blows from the air of Ukrainian cities and key infrastructure.

Now, the question of the Shorad system comes to a more significant place, as they can be not only the most important element on the front line, but also an integral part of air defense in the protection of cities and important objects from hostile drones. Currently, experts write, the possibilities of SHORAD of Ukraine include a combination of surviving systems of the Soviet era and recently received Western equipment.

The most powerful of the technology of Soviet times is 9k330 "Thor", 9k33 "OSA" and 9k35 "Arrow-10". The 2K22 "Tunguska" plays a similar role. Among the systems presented by Western allies are the most important An/TWQ-1 Avenger, 20 of which have been set by the United States since the end of last year, and which have been armed with Stinger's missiles. Also in this list German Gepard.

According to the authors of the publication, these systems are ideally suited for the accompaniment of armored vehicles during movement, but in Ukraine they are not in large numbers. "Ukraine will undoubtedly develop a new tactic to resist more and more persistent presence of Russian military aviation in the ongoing counter -offensive.

But now the experience of this new phase of the campaign emphasizes the importance of aircraft of the nearby radius of action for Ukrainian units as they are promoted," Experts summed up. Earlier it was reported that the fighters of the 36th Separate Brigade of the Marines named after counter -admiral Mikhail Bilinsky destroyed the Russian shock helicopter Ka-52.